Category: Benefits of Pilates

Benefits of Pilates

Priya Tew

It goes without saying I am a HUGE fan of Pilates, but I didn’t use to be! I was a fan of high intensity workouts, thinking that unless I left a pile of sweat on the floor the workout wasn’t being effective. Now whilst I still do like a bit of high intensity now and again, what I have learnt is Pilates really can work you hard and lead to a strong body.

Here are some of the benefits:

  • All over strength for the whole body. Pilates can help build bone strength, muscle mass as well as that core too.
  • Improved posture and body awareness, which can go hand in hand. By knowing your posture issues you can start to correct and work on them throughout daily life.
  • The deep breathing used in Pilates can help with stress/anxiety management and with releasing tight areas in the ribcage, back and pelvic floor.
  • Improve your balance and co-ordination. Pilates teaches you to weight transfer effectively and work on your standing balance too.
  • Prevention of injuries. Once you are more connected to your body, balanced and co-ordinated it goes without saying that it helps prevent injuries in other sports too.
  • Sets the foundation for other movement. If you do other fitness related activities too then Pilates can help you be strong from the inside out.

The best way to start Pilates is to find a beginners class or do a 1-1 session to connect with the all essential basics. The breath, the set up position of the body and the activation of the core are those building blocks that you very much need to get under your belt before moving to the actual movement.

If you want to join a class then we have spaces in the studio or email [email protected] to book a 1-1 session with one of our experienced teachers!

Top tips for your nervous system.

Priya Tew

With 2020 having been the most stressful year for most of us, it feels like the start of 2021 is a good time to think about how to stay in a calmer place. It isn’t always possible to lower your stress levels (especially when that stress is a global pandemic) but there are ways we can help our bodies and brains deal with it.

The sympathetic nervous system is our “fight or flight” side, fuelling by adrenaline, it helps us be on alert and run away or to stand and fight. We totally need this system but we don’t want it switched on overdrive all the time. If you have been living life on the edge for some time then your body will be functioning on high alert which will be exhausting and after a while it takes its toll. You may notice digestive issues, constant fatigue, headaches, anxiety and mood disorders. If that is where you are right now then read on.

The parasympathetic nervous system is our rest and digest side, its the side that kicks in when we sit down and kick back on the sofa. It also keeps our basic body functions working as they should, including digestion, heart rate, the bladder and sexual function.

So how do we stimulate the rest and digest side more?

  • If there are any stressors you can reduce look at doing this. Our body is designed to cope with stress but not all the time.
  • Use mindfulness, meditation, deep breathing or- you guessed it- pilates to help bring down your reactions to stress. Ever noticed how you leave your pilates class feeling calmer, clearer in your head and better in your body? It is a great coping tool.
  • Massage can help you move from that place of stress to relaxation too. Regular massage could help you with the stress response. If you can’t get a regular massage in person then try seem self massage using a massage ball, or a partner.
  • Moderate exercise of any sort can help you stress bust. Can you build activity into your everyday. Gardening, walking, cycling, running whatever works for you.
  • Take 10 minutes to sit and reflect. A gratitude journal can be a great way to do this. Focusing on the positives helps you to see life is not all bad.
  • Make sure you have enough relaxation and chill out time in your day/week.

How does Pilates help?

Well it helps you slow down, breath deeply, concentrate on your body movements and move mindfully. Plus it is exercise and time for you.

If you want to take up Pilates to help with this then our online classes run 6 days a week, plus pregnancy and postnatal classes too. Sign up by emailing [email protected]

The New Normal?

Priya Tew

Whilst lockdown has been a tough, it has also been a time of innovation and learning to work in new ways.

Online classes have been popping up everywhere with versions where you can see all the particpants and versions where you cannot. It’s been a time to try new things or go old-school back to things you used to enjoy. A time to slow down the pace and a time to reflect on what is important.

I’ve felt so very lucky to be able to run classes online, it has brought me a lot of joy to be able to see my class members online each week and to chat to them. It has also been pretty exhausting to adapt to new ways of doing things, so I’m super proud and thankful to everyone in our studio for doing this and for sticking with us whilst we worked it out.

To be honest I wasn’t convinced online classes would work, how can you correct people over the internet? It turns out that if you are creative it can work well and for some of our classes such as the postnatal ones I think it works better for some people. Whilst I will always be a lover of being hands on with people and seeing people face to face I can see that online classes have their benefits too.

Benefits of online classes:
– Able to join from wherever you are, you don’t have to be local, it is lovely to welcome back people who had moved away and welcome new people.
– Safety in terms of physical health.
– You can do it in your PJs!
– No travel.
– You don’t have to be in a certain room, you could be in the garden, the park or anywhere as long as you have your phone with you!
– No need for childcare.

 

Problems with online classes:
– Lack of space and equipment. It has lead to some creative solutions with baked bean cans, pairs of tights and using childrens bedrooms. Where there is a will, there’s a way!
– Not wanting people to see you in your homes. I totally understand this, but also I promise once you have done it you will realise people really are only watching the teacher.
– Internet access and technology glitches!
– Having “helpers” so you don’t get the peaceful class you would like.
– Harder to follow over a screen.

Whilst group classes online are not for everyone, I totally understand that being able to see each other in your own homes is not always ideal, it has opened the doors for those with children or those who have moved way who want to join in. For me, it has been lovely to see all the pets and children joining in! I like to be able to see people whilst they do pilates so I can offer correction and teaching tips.

The future for us right now will continue to involve some online classes, I imagine these are there to stay. This time is a time for you to decide what works best for you. So if you are enjoying the online classes and do not feel the need to come back to the studio as soon as it is possible, we will be supporting that. If you know you need to be in the studio to get away from the house, then we hope to support that with limited numbers.

I’d love to hear your thoughts on how you have found online classes and what that sweet spot is with online and in person?

Should I exercise or rest?

Priya Tew

Exercise. It’s one of those things that you often really need to motivate and push yourself to do. As mummy to 3 children I know what it is like to be a little bit on the jaded side….. or what it is like to be so darn tired you are hardly thinking straight and haven’t noticed your top is on inside out (that was me yesterday). 

So the question is when do you need to push yourself to exercise and when do you need to rest? I struggle with this one. Big time.  As someone who teaches Pilates I often have to go and just do it anyway because it is my job.  What I find is usually it makes me feel better. Exercise is amazing as it can energise you, relax you, remove your stress and leave you feeling pumped up ready for the rest of the day. However if you are unwell it can also zapp your energy levels and leave you feeling worse than before. So the key is to know when to Go Go Go and when to STOP.

Part of self care is moving and stopping. The balance between collapsing on the sofa and watching TV or doing 30 minutes of activity that helps fix your body is a toughie.

Here are the times I think you should REST:

  1. If you are unwell with a virus/bug. It may seem obvious but it can be tough to do for some people. This is totally relevant right now with Covid-19 (see guidance on this below). We all take different times to recover, so rather than judging by someone elses recovery do listen to your body.  If you are older, have a weakened immune system and know recovery takes you longer generally then BE KIND TO YOU. 
  2. If you have had COVID-19 then some extra thoughts for you. Some people appear to get a mild version, some a much worse version. This will determine your recovery rates, so if you have been really unwell do not expect to bounce back to exercise. Instead take it slow and build your fitness back up. When you are ill, your pulse rate is generally a little higher than normal, particularly if you have a high temperature or are a little dehydrated. Exercising too hard will push your heart rate up higher which could send you backwards in your recovery. 
  3. When your body just wants to sleep and you know you have been over doing it. Maybe you have had a lot of late nights working or up with children. When you are so very tired you are more likely to injure yourself so if you do exercise keep it gentle. A walk or gentle stretch maybe.
  4. If you have just had a baby then it is also key for your body to rest and heal. Whilst walking and gentle movement in the first 6 weeks can be good to do, you do not want to over do things. The 4th trimester is a time to let yourself heal, to be with your baby, and to let your nervous system calm down.
  5. For some women the heavier days of their period are times to also rest or take exercise in a gentler way. Exercise can help boost your mood but progesterone and oestrogen levels are lower which can leave you tired. Swap high intensity work for resistance training, pilates or walking and see how it feels. Ultimately listen to your body!
Photo by Anupam Mahapatra on Unsplash

If you are looking for some Pilates you can do from home then we have daily classes running or you can use our membership portal for £10 a month access to a whole pile of Pilates video content.

Online pilates classes

We have moved ONLINE

Priya Tew

It’s been a whirlwind turnaround but I’m super proud and pleased to say that although sadly the studio is physically closed we are not actually closed! Our classes are running online in a variety of ways. Pilates is a fabulous way to destress, clear your mind and keep moving during this tricky time. I know from the kind messages I get that it is keeping a lot of people going right now.

After a week of testing the technology from the studio and almost getting on top of it, lockdown hit and now all teachers are teaching from their homes. Which means you still get to see your favourite teacher but it may look and feel a little different. What we are finding is teaching online is quite intimate. We get to see you in your home, you get to see us in ours and its kinda nice. You can come to class in your PJs, with your children, pets or your favourite drink.

Plus, if you miss your actual class, not to worry as right now to help us all through this time, you get full access to all the classes that are taught in the studio, on a catch up basis. So you can log into our studio facebook group and view them there, or most classes are also being added to the membership portal. All for the usual monthly price of one class.

If you have any friends who have wanted to try Pilates then this is a great time to do so and they can be based anywhere! We will have some induction sessions running online and then they can join the normal classes for £35 a month or have access to just the membership portal for £10 a month.

Pilates: you’re worth it.

Priya Tew

I’m noticing more people are now being told to do Pilates by health professionals. Which is fantastic as quite frankly I think everyone should be practising Pilates. In an age where self care is all the rage, Pilates is the epitome of this. It is a way to look after your body in a loving way. Yes you will work and maybe even “glow” but the emphasis is on quality of movement and connecting with how your body works.

Now you don’t need an anatomy degree to come to a class but having an awareness about your movement will be beneficial. If you don’t have one yet then after a few classes you certainly will be starting to.

Taking time out of your week to lie down, breath, focus on your muscles and then move is the perfect antidote to a hectic lifestyle. It can calm your nervous system whilst working the whole body. People come into a class stressed out and leave in the opposite mood.

We only have one body and it’s key to keep it functioning as well as possible. Pilates can help lubricate stiff joints, stretch the body out after a days work or a bad nights sleep and works muscle groups to keep them healthy. With parts of our body it is certainly “use it or lose it”. Some of the best Pilates moments I have with people is when they can do movements they had not been able to do for some time, such as touch their toes or get down to the mat and up again unaided.

Then as you delve deeper Pilates just keeps giving. 10 years on and I still feel like I’m learning and re-learning the exercises and technique. Now that either means I was awful to start with (quite possibly) or my body has changed over the years (3 babies and 10 years of ageing) so I have to keep adapting and learning. I’ll let you decide which!

So I see Pilates as part of the way I keep taking care of my body. What are you doing for your body this week?

Pilates and the nervous system.

Priya Tew

You know those days you are buzzing with adrenaline, you are whizzing around like a busy bee, getting physical stuff done but your mind is in an anxious state? When you constantly feel tense, you can’t fully breathe and your heart rate feels pumping?

These are examples of your nervous system being on overdrive and I know is a place I tend to live my life in. However Pilates brings me an answer to this. Read on for more. We have 2 nervous systems:

Sympathetic – this is the fight or flight nervous system. When your body is faced with a sudden threat it tenses up, certain functions slow down (digestion) and others speed up:

  • pupil dilation
  • sweating
  • increased heart rate
  • increased blood pressure

Parasympathetic – the “regist and digest” nervous system. This system we need to be working to enable the body to recover, relax and heal itself. When this nervous system is fired up we get more:

  • constriction of pupils
  • decreased heart rate
  • increased digestion
  • more saliva and mucus
  • more urine production

Pilates for me brings me out of the craziness of daily life, away from the “to-do” list, the work deadlines, the family dynamics, the household jobs and into a place where I have to slow down, I have to think about my body and I have to concentrate on me. That is why it is more than exercise. It is a way to switch on the parasympathetic nervous system and calm your whole system so that your body can restore itself.

Personally I think most of us need time daily to destress, to calm our bodies and mind, to breath deeply and to let the body slow down. Mindfulness and meditation have been recommended for years for many mental health conditions and now this is coming into physical health too. Why? When our bodies are under stress one way this can be shown is through sickness. Our gut and brain are linked closely by the gut-brain axis via the nervous system. So if our brain is on overdrive and highly stressed it can definitely affect gut conditions.

If you are struggling with your physical or mental health then why not try Pilates as a way to help. Here is a beginners video that may be helpful: